Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. All credit goes to JK Rowling. If you see something you remember from the books or films, it does not belong to me. You can't sue me, I don't have any money.

Authors note: Yes, yes, I know... This is just to prove that I'm still alive and the aliens haven't abducted me. I'm finding the last two chapters of Trying Again nearly impossible to write, but I haven't abandoned it, I promise. This is just a little something that's been brewing for a while now and I felt the time was right to post it. Please review, I need help to get over my writer's block.

Sirius slid off the broad back of his new travel companion and almost stumbled on the uneven ground. It was all he could do to stumble away from the water before collapsing. Everything that wasn't numb from the cold and fatigue ached with a sort of dull pain that reminded him he wasn't a young man anymore.

He wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep for a few hours. At least as a dog he could shut down for a while, but he couldn't risk it, he needed his wits about him if he wanted to stay away from Azkaban and the dementors. He gave an involuntary shudder and gasped in pain

He wasn't entirely prepared for a fight with a werewolf, but he didn't have any other options. He didn't think he had any broken bones, but up until now he hadn't really thought about it much, there were too many other things to worry about.

The hippogriff seemed to have had his fill of the water and Sirius watched him settle down in the long grass, apparently preparing to take a nap. He couldn't really blame the poor creature, it had been a long night, and it was far from over.

It wasn't completely dark, the full moon illuminated the countryside for as far as the eye could see. He would be able to see anything that came at them from quite a ways away, but it also made him and the hippogriff far too easy to spot. He couldn't be sure, but he assumed they were about two hours south of Hogwarts. It was a good start, but now that the ministry knew for sure that he was in the area they would flood half of Scotland with aurors and dementors.

He would need to get out of the country for a while, possibly to France. Or Spain. But the idea of leaving Harry completely defenceless was too much to bear.

If the dementors got to him he would be a useless mess, but he needed to make sure the boy was safe. At least for now he would be well looked after, Hogwarts was the best place for him at the moment. Dumbledore wouldn't let him come to any harm.

Harry and the girl assured him they were alright, but the fact that he hurt the other boy upset him more than he thought it would. He hoped he would be able to get to Peter without involving anybody else, but at least now Harry knew the truth. Harry and Remus.

He couldn't believe he'd done something so incredibly stupid. How could he possibly have missed the signs? In hindsight it was so obvious that Peter had been the spy, but he suspected Remus, just because... Well, there was nothing he could do about that now, but he would do everything in his power to protect Harry. He owed that to James and Lily. He had been named the boys godfather, but the last time he had even seen the poor child he was barely a year old, and now he was practically a man.

And then there was Remus. His words and his body language said that he understood, that he had forgiven him, but there was a conversation he felt sure they would need to have at some point. They would need to talk this through, but for now the events of the previous few hours worried him more. The man he knew would never be able to live with himself after putting a group of innocent children in that sort of danger, regardless of the fact that it wasn't his fault.

The hippogriff shifted in its sleep. Sirius wouldn't blame the poor creature if it flew away, but it seemed as if it understood that they needed each other if they were going to make it out of this alive.

"Buckbeak?"

The hippogriff lifted it's head just high enough to glare at him.

"Sorry to cut your nap short, my friend, but we need to move, this place is about as safe as a dragon's nest in breeding season."

The huge creature hesitated for a moment, gave a sort of accepting snort and slowly got got up. He shook out his feathers and looked expectantly at Sirius, as if he was waiting for him to get a move on.

Sirius rinsed his face in the stream and took a few gulps of water. It would have to do for now.

He heaved himself onto the hippogriff again, ignoring his aches and pains for a while. It was time to move. South, away from the aurors, the dementors, Hogwarts, Harry and everything he still cared for.